Puffed food starch product and method for making the same.

(54) Title: PRODUCT OF INFLATED STARCH SANDWICH.

(54) Title: PUFFED FOOD STARCH PRODUCT AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME.

(57) Summary

The present invention relates to an inflated snack product comprising: a unitary inflated starch material body, wherein said inflated starch material body comprises a plurality of individual inflated pellets of at least two types, wherein each type of pella has been expanded to a different degree.

(57) Abstract

The present invention ineludes puffed-food starch material snack, in particular starch material from grains, having an improved crispy texture and a more aesthetic appearance and methods for preparing them. In general terms, the produets are snack chips, cakes, crackers or the like, made from food starch material. Preferably, the starch material is provided primarily in the form of individual kernels or pellets of a cereal grain, such as rice, corn, wheat, rye, oats, millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. Quantities of other food starch material is may also be employed as a co-mixed constituent, or the primary source oí bulk starch material, for example potato starch material. A quantity of the grain is puffed (expanded) in a manner which forms a snack product of considerable crispiness, lightness, and unique texture to both the mouth and eye. According to a method of making the puffed food starch material product of the present invention, a puffing chamber is provid ed having inner surfaces and a chamber volume. A bulk amount of the food starch material is placed into the puffing chamber. The bulk amount of food starch material is caused to volumetrically expand. The expanding food starch material is constrained in its expansion in at least a first dimension, while permitting expansion of the bulk amount in at least a second dimension.

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Institute

Mexican Property

Industrial

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«Cftí WAM. t »KWJMiX

PATENT TITLE NO. 337757

Owner (s): THE QUAKER OATS COMPANY

Address: 321 North Clark Street, Suite 25-7, Chicago, Illinois, 60610-4714, USA

Denomination: INFLATED STARCH SANDWICH PRODUCT. Classification: lnt.CI.8: A23L1 / 164; A23L1 / 18; A23P1 / 10; A23P1 / 14

Inventor (s); JACQUE L. MALFAIT

REQUEST

Number: Presentation date: Time:

MX / a / 2012/000883 March 29, 2000 3:35 PM

Divisional Patent Number 274272 i Country:

s us

Validity: Twenty years

PRIORITY

Date:

March 1999

Number:

09/281,991

Due Date March 29, 2020

The reference patent is granted based on JenarUculo · 1st, 2nd section V, 6th section III and 59 of the Industrial Property Law. In accordance with article 23 of the Industrial Property Law, this patent has a valid term of twenty years,

Counted from the filing date of the application and t! to the payment of the ta-ifa to maintain the rights.

Whoever subscribes to this title does so based on the provisions of Articles 6 fractions til and 7 bis bis 2 of Industrial Property (Official Journal of the Federation (DOF&gt; 06/27/1891, amended on 08/02/1994 , 10/25/1996, 12/26/1997, 1) 5/1999. 86/01/2004, 06/16/2005. 01/25/2006. * / 05 / 2009,06 / 01/2010. 18 / ^ 42010. 06/26 20 Ό 27 / 012C12 and O 04/2012); 1st articles. 3rd action V subsection a), 4th and 12th fractions I and III of the Regulations of the Institute Me », cano of tndustnal Property (DOF 12/14/1999, ref mated on 07/01/2002, 07/15/2004, 07/28/2004&gt; # / 09/2007); Articles 1, 3, 4, 5, section V, subsection a), 16 sections I and III and 30 of the Organic Statute of the Institute f / fewcaho de »Property Wt)« W &lt;O.OF^;TOl2 / ie99, fefemratfe 10/10/21) 02, 29/07/2 () 04/04/081 ^ 8 ^^^^^^): 1st, 3rd and 5th paragraph a) of the Agreement that delegates powers to the Deputy Directors General, Coordinator, Divisional Directors, Head of the Regional Offices, Divisional Deputy Directors, Departmental Coordinators and other subordinates of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property. (DOF 12/15/1999, amended on 02/04/2000, 07/29/2004, 08/04/2004 and 09/13/2007).

woe to the

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Issue Date: March 17, 2016

TO DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OF / RATENTES

NAHANNY CANAL REYES

Arenas No. 550, Floor 1,

Santa María Tepepar town. Xcchírnlco. CP 16020.

Mexico City 'el. (55) 53 34 07 00 www.impi gob.mx

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MX / 2016/22071

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INFLATED STARCH SANDWICH PRODUCT

TECHNICAL FIELD

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This invention relates generally to improved puffed food starch products made from cereal grains or other food starches, in various forms, and methods for their manufacture. More particularly, the present invention relates to puffed rice sandwiches with improved crisp quality, and attractive visual and physical texture, and to the preparation processes for such sandwiches.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Snacks have long been a major line of household trade around the world, ranging from treats to diet supplements. However, not too long ago a trend in nutrition found that naturally and artificially sweetened chocolates, candy, ice cream, and other confectionery, as well as potato chips, salty cupcakes, corn chips, and

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Similar, they are being replaced by healthier products. The terms low-fat, fat-free and light (light) have become the keywords of health conscious people in the 90's. The trend has been the popularity of puffed grain snacks, or sometimes referred to as of busted grain, especially those made from corn and rice, firmly on the rise.

The very successful products have been made in the form of cakes generally made of corn or puffed rice. While these products had an acceptable quantity of crunchy quality to date, they suffered from an unpleasant texture, usually closer to the core of the cake, resulting in the stickiness of the product on the teeth. The products are in the shape of a hockey puck (uniform in all three dimensions) and lack the attractive visual texture of conventional snack foods. The size of these sandwich cakes is also relatively large (approximately a three to four inch (7.5 by 10 cm) disk shaped cake). This size, like a single serving, can drive a quantity

I Μ&gt; I substantial waste for some consumers, especially children. To deal with this waste problem, a 'mini-cake, or smaller version of the original cake (about a 2.5 to 5 cm (one to two inch) disk-shaped cake or cookie) was introduced. The texture and appearance problems, however, remained.

Examples of methods for manufacturing conventional grain cake products are described in the disclosed methods of the Patent.

North American No. 4,888,180 to Wu. These cake-forming devices are more frequently used with rice such as cereal grain, since rice is capable of relatively easy expansion into a self-supporting cake. Statistics show that the availability and versatility of rice has not only made it an industry favorite, but also a consumer favorite. The world's annual rice harvest in the early 1990s exceeded 510 million metric tons, an increase of approximately 30 percent from the average during the period 1979 to 1981. Rice grains are widely used as food for human, constituting food

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principal of almost half of the human race. The leading rice producers are China, with 36 percent of world production in the early 1990s, and India, with 22 percent. In the United States, production averaged about 7 million metric tons; Arkansas, California, Louisiana and Texas were the main rice producing states.

Rice inflation methods, and generally cereal inflation (or cereal popping) are well established in the prior art. In general, methods known in the art rely primarily on a moisture content in the grains for inflation. The moisture content can be varied by many processes, such as: drying; cooking; sancocho; and tempered. Examples of attempted improvements in processing methods are described in US Patent Nos. 4,281,593 to Gevaert, 4,328,741 to Yoshikazu, and 4,667,588 to Hayashi.

There are two generally practiced methods for expanding or inflating the grains: (1) heating the grains until they become extensible (for example until the starch

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it becomes amorphous or flowable) at which point additional heating allows evaporation of moisture (and the escape of some minor amounts of other gases trapped in the grain) which causes expansion (bubble formation) in the amorphous starch; (2) heating the grains to a state capable of flowing at atmospheric pressure, then suddenly reducing the pressure (partial vacuum) again allowing increased vaporization and gasification, and again causing expansion (bubble formation), in the amorphous starch; and (3) heating the grains to a state capable of flowing in a chamber where the pressure allows (or is caused) to build up, then suddenly reducing the pressure to atmospheric, allowing increased vaporization and gasification, and again causing expansion (bubble formation) in amorphous starch.

This last method is more conventionally used to make mini and large rice cakes. The latter method is carried out in what is commonly referred to as rice puffing or popping machines. These machines provide a chamber defined by hot chamber walls. Once the pre-inflated grain is

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placed in the chamber, it is closed to a pressure seal. The food starch is heated by contact with the chamber walls. The amount of food starch, for example, the amount of grains loaded into the chamber, relative to the volume of the chamber, and the amount of expansion, causes the inflated product to conform generally in all three dimensions to the shape of the camera.

One problem with conventional processes for rice inflation is that filling the entire volume of the inflation chamber after expansion can limit the bubble size formed, or the complete expansion of the bulk amount of the food starch or both. This may explain a less than completely crispy product and a sticky texture to the teeth of the resulting rice cake. This is certainly responsible for the shape of the product's hockey puck, which to date is desirable.

Yet another problem that exists in the use of rice inflation equipment is the attempt to balance by providing sufficient time to present good conditions for the complete expansion of the food starch, while at the

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The same time is tried to minimize the conversion time, discreet.

residence in the chamber, to achieve high proportions of production. To date, this balance has produced the conventional rice cakes described above.

It is well known that the degree and ease of inflation is affected by many factors such as: the type of grain, the type of pre-processing (for example grinding), the condition of the grain (for example moisture content). ,, and the type of starch contained in the grain.

Another advance in food starch inflation is to inflate food starch that has been and extruded into one size and shape.

Such extruded parts are cooled and dried to a desired moisture content state and desired hardness for acceptable handling and storage. To date, such inflation has been limited to oven inflation or deep frying. The resulting products, however, are relatively uniform throughout the length of the sandwich piece, and provide a monolithic texture to the mouth when eaten. The same is true of products made from the more conventional extrusion inflation process.

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The inventor is not aware of any cake-like products that have been attempted using such pellet material. Furthermore, it appears that prior to the present invention, it has never been contemplated to employ such a by-product in the form of pellets in a rice puffing machine or related process.

In summary, despite the improvements being made in the field of making puffed sandwich cakes from food starches, particularly rice grain, insufficient attention has been given to improving the complete visual and physical texture ( eg crisp quality) and product appearance. The present invention addresses these problems as well as solves the problems discussed above and provides other advantages that will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides puffed food starch sandwiches having a ι texture

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food.

Starch is crisp improved and a more aesthetic appearance, and methods for preparing them.

Generally speaking, the products are sandwich pieces, cakes, biscuits or the like, made from starch. Preferably, the material is mainly provided in the form of individual grains or pellets of a cereal grain, such as rice, corn, wheat , rye, oats, millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. The amounts of other food starches can also be used as a mixed constituent, or as the main source of the bulk starch material, for example potato starch. A quantity of the food starch is inflated (expanded) in a way that forms a food product of considerable crunchy quality, lightness, and unique texture to the mouth and. to the eyes.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an inflated snack product comprises an inflated starch body having a generally regular perimeter shape and opposite top and bottom surfaces. At least one of the upper surfaces e_t 'i bottom has a substantially wavy outline such that it appears as if the pieces

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They were attached to the one substantially starchy surface comprising hills and elevation and the fall of the other grain individual. It is preferred that corrugated body of valleys, noted by the surface along a parallel plan.

In a preferred embodiment, the puffed snack product is comprised primarily of rice starch, but may further include puffed corn starch, puffed wheat starch, puffed potato starch, or the like.

In other presently preferred embodiments, the puffed snack product may be comprised primarily or predominantly of puffed corn starch, puffed wheat starch, or puffed potato starch, with combinations of other possible grains. Currently, a preferred perimeter shape of the food product is generally circular, hence a two-dimensional rounded cake. Alternatively, other embodiments 20 may include a perimeter shape that is generally triangular, square, rectangular, or any other geometric or whimsical shape that can be engineered at the same time to have consumer appeal or processing, handling, or packaging advantages.

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According to yet another aspect of the invention, the bulk cake product is comprised of a quantity of food starch in the form of a plurality of individual, jointly inflated whole grains. At least a portion of these whole grains can be rice grains, wheat grains, or both, and can also include corn grains.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the body of the cake or sandwich is formed from a bulk amount of the food starch comprised of a plurality of individual pellets (formed from the starchy flour) all inflated together. Such pellets are preferably made from rice flour, wheat flour, corn flour, potato flour or the like, and may further include corn kernels. A sufficient quantity of pellets (and corn kernels, if desired) capable of becoming amorphous in the inflation chamber must be provided such that all pellets and kernels touch at least one other pellet, or kernel, after becoming amorphous .

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an inflation chamber is provided having

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internal surfaces and a chamber volume. A bulk amount of the food starch is placed in the inflation chamber. The bulk amount of the food starch material causes it to expand volumetrically. The expanding food starch is constrained in its expansion in at least a first dimension, while the expansion of the bulk quantity is allowed in at least a second dimension.

The step of constraining the expansion may further include the constraining of the expansion of the bulk quantity in a third dimension as well. Constraint can achieve a definition of the general shape of the final product in the first dimension, or both of the first and third dimensions. The defined shape may be provided by, in a particular embodiment, constraining the expansion with any of the 'internal surfaces of the inflation chamber. Preferably, for the sandwich cake described in the following example, the second unconstrained dimension is height.

Another method of the present invention includes predetermining the bulk amount of the food starch material to be placed.

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inside the chamber. The default should provide a sufficient quantity of whole grains (or half-ground grains of corn, if desired) capable of becoming amorphous, such that all grains, and half-ground grains, touch at least one other grain, or half grain grind, after becoming amorphous.

Where pellets are used, the method may further include the formation of pellets generally at the size of a full grain, selected from the group of grains including rice, wheat, barley, oats, rye, and corn.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides for the inflation of a food starch capable of becoming amorphous in a food starch product, wherein the food starch is first converted to flour and then pregelatinized in an extruder under pressure and temperature. The food starch is then extruded and pelletized. The pelletized food starch is placed in an inflation chamber, where the increase in pressure and temperature in the chamber causes the pelletized food starch to become amorphous. At τ

Rápidamente quickly reduce the pressure in the chamber, the amorphous starch pellets expand.

The pellets are believed to provide superior inflation (at least relative to a given time, temperature cycle in given mass production), to whole grains. While not currently tested, the benefits are believed to be that: (1) pellets are pregelatinized and may allow more thermal energy (in the given cycle time or amount of thermal energy) to contribute to evaporation from the water and the formation of bubbles, (as opposed to the provision of energy to achieve a greater crystalline phase change) than in a complete grain; (2) pelleted rice has previously been converted to flour, therefore the mechanical and physical limits of the cell structure have already been broken leading to a more uniform expansion with less energy (heat) 'required to break the cell structure ; and (3) the uniform pellet structure has a more even distribution of starch and moisture to improve crispness and puffiness.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the food starch pellets [N

CH L extrudates can be cooled under sufficiently controlled parameters (slowly) to reduce the stress in the pellet (for example, annealing of the pellets). This should reduce the energy required for possible annealing in the inflation chamber. Also, slow drying should improve additional handling resistance without fractures. Extruded pellets should be provided with sufficient drying to increase shelf life and prevent pellets from sticking together in storage.

It is also possible that once gelatinized, the pellets are cooled in such a way as to reduce recrystallization of the starch. This can also assist in bulging in that for a fixed amount of energy input, energy is not unduly wasted in the annealing in the inflation chamber. However, such cooling may be at odds with slow cooling for stress reduction. While one type of cooling can be used as an exchange for the other, stress reduction currently appears to be the preferred goal.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional side view describing an inflation machine used in the present invention, in a fully open position;

<td>The</td><td>Figure 2 is</td><td>a</td><td>view</td><td>Similary</td><td>of the</td>

<td>machine of</td><td>inflation of</td><td colspan="2">figure 1</td><td colspan="2">, which shows the</td>

<td>placement</td><td colspan="4">of food starch within</td><td>a pair</td>

<td>of cameras;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>The</td><td>Figure 3 is</td><td>a</td><td>view</td><td>Similary</td><td>of the</td>

<td>machine of</td><td>inflation of</td><td>the</td><td>Figure</td><td>1, that</td><td>shows</td>

<td>the cameras</td><td>sealed;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>The</td><td>Figure 4 is</td><td>a</td><td>view</td><td>Similary</td><td>of the</td>

<td>machine of</td><td>inflation of</td><td>the</td><td>Figure</td><td>1, that</td><td>shows</td>

<td colspan="4">just subsequent to the breakup the</td><td colspan="2">stamp on</td>

<td>cameras;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td>The</td><td>Figure 5 is</td><td>a</td><td>view</td><td>Similary</td><td>of the</td>

inflation machine of Figure 1, showing the upper mold fully retracted;

Figure 6 is a similar view of the inflation machine of Figure 1, showing the final product that is ejected from the mold;

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Figure 7 is a top view of a supply plate for the present invention;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of an inflated starch product made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

<td></td><td>The</td><td>Figure 9 is a</td><td>top view</td><td>of</td><td>a</td>

<td>product</td><td>of</td><td>puffed starch</td><td>as shown</td><td>in</td><td>the</td>

<td>Figure 8</td><td>r</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td></td><td>The</td><td>Figure 10 is a</td><td>bottom view</td><td>of</td><td>a</td>

<td>product</td><td>of</td><td>puffed starch</td><td>as shown</td><td>in</td><td>the</td>

Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a first side view of an inflated starch product as shown in Figure 8;

Figure 12 is a second side view of an inflated starch product as shown in Figure 8;

Figure 13 is a third side view of an inflated starch product as shown in Figure 8;

Figure 14 is a fourth side view of an inflated starch product as shown in Figure 8;

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Figure 15 is a perspective view of another puffed starch product made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 16 is a perspective view of another puffed starch product made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 17 is a perspective view of another puffed starch product made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the present method for the production of an inflated food starch product;

FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating yet another embodiment of the present method, for producing a puffed food starch product using the food starch in pellet form;

Figure 20 is a flow chart that generally illustrates the operation of the inflation machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALI-DAD

While the invention is capable of being exemplified in many different ways, this

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Description will be described in detail in the preferred embodiments of the invention, with the understanding that the present description is considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the illustrated embodiments.

Product

The inflated food products or invention, provide the inflated food products, products are more a visual texture texture to the mouth

In some cases with the invention processed more

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corn feed present on starch that the and have as a consume.

according to no

Figures busted from the a number of lead cakes or biscuits from preamps. It is believed to be lighter, crispier, more attractive, and thus more pleasing when the products made from it are believed to have a natural appearance, as illustrated in the

However, the natural wavy appearance provides functional advantages over the prior art, too . Wavy surface makes snack sauces easier

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INO sweeps, very similar to a potato chip or corn fry than hockey puck cakes. Additionally, the present product can be sprinkled with flavoring during manufacturing, including pleasant flavors such as roast beef, sour cream, cheese, garlic, and onion, and most other popular snack flavors. The highly textured surface provides increased retention of crystalline or granular flavor coatings. Furthermore, because the upper and lower surface areas of each frying are larger than a standard flat surface of the prior art cakes, a greater amount of flavoring can be applied. More flavoring can enhance the full flavor of a product, which has enjoyed past commercial success.

The products according to the invention may be in the form of a sandwich, cake, or cookie fry. These can be made from individual grains according to certain aspects of the invention and from individual pellets of extruded food starch material, according to other aspects of the invention. Here we describe cakes made from a cereal grain, such as

<img file="MX337757B_D0023.tif" />

rice, corn, wheat, rye, oats, 'millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. A quantity of the grain is inflated (expanded) in a way that forms a snack product of considerable lightness and crisp quality over previous puffed grain snacks.

The inflation phenomenon results from the sudden expansion of water vapor from the moisture held within the starch material of the granule (and some gas evolution). The particle is fixed in its expanded state by dehydration resulting from the rapid diffusion of water vapor out of it. Moisture level is considered an important factor in grain inflation. Before inflation, the grain or pellet should preferably be kept at not less than 3% humidity in order to achieve the desired degree of inflation and crisp quality of the final product. The preferred embodiment has a moisture content that falls within the range of from about 8% to about 18% (by weight) of moisture, with about 8% to about 13% (by weight) being most preferred, and about 10% up to about 12% which is the moisture content

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most preferred. Moisture contents outside the 8 to 18% range can lead to decreased inflation on the one hand, and collapse of an already inflated product, on the other hand.

Rice grain is preferred for many reasons, including its ability to expand with relative ease in a self-supporting cake product. Figures 8-14 show various views of one embodiment of a sandwich cake according to the present invention. The puffed snack product of the present invention comprises a puffed starch body 10 having a generally regular perimeter shape, and opposite top and bottom surfaces 12, 14. The perimeter shape of the body 10 is circular. Other shapes are also contemplated, for example, other shapes the triangular shapes; square; etc., and whimsical shapes can provide particular advantages in some cases. Figures 15-17 show food starch products with surface variations.

Referring to Figures 8-14, the top surface 12 and bottom surface 14 have a substantially wavy outline, and each surface 12, 14 has an overall appearance that

<img file="MX337757B_D0024.tif" />

<img file="MX337757B_D0025.tif" />

allows visual discrimination between the individual half-ground grains of grain 16 as they are bonded to each other. It is preferred that the substantially corrugated surface of the starch body 10 comprises hills 17 and valleys 18, perceived by the uneven rise and fall of the surfaces 12, 14.

While the preferred starch body 10 is comprised primarily of rice, it may further include corn, wheat, potato, oats, rye, barley, buckwheat, potato, or any other combination of these or other appropriate sources of unfavorable food starch. Hereinafter, the terms 'good or' goods are intended to describe the materials that possess starch, including cereal grains, seeds, tubers, and the like, which are used in the present process to constitute food starch. of the starch bodies such as the body 10, or in the constitution of the bulk amount of the food starch placed in the inflation chamber. Where applicable, these goods can be supplied in the form of ground flour, whole grains, or in a pellet form. Mixtures of goods in the form of flour, or

<img file="MX337757B_D0026.tif" />

Mixed whole grains or mixed pellets can also be used in accordance with the present invention, with varying results.

With respect to flour and whole grains, the simple goods or mixtures of goods can be used to create a suitable, infallible food starch composition. Since rice is the preferred food starch in the described embodiment of body 10, it should be understood that this will be the preferred predominant good used in mixtures for many of the described methods. A predominantly rice flour mixture may contain rice flour within the range of about 51% to 100% by weight.

Similarly, the predominantly corn flour mixture should be predominantly corn flour (for example at least 51% by weight). The remaining percentage, up to 49% by weight, may consist of one or more of the other goods in the form of flour.

This is equally true for a mixture of predominantly rice grain, or crushed grain predominantly of corn (eg, cracked corn). It should be noted that the moisture content of the respective starch constituents is counted in their percentage by weight.

<img file="MX337757B_D0027.tif" />

Pellets are more variable than flour or whole grains. The pellets by themselves can be made from a mixture of goods from a form of flour, and the complete composition can be comprised of several different types of pellets. For example, pellets Ά can be formed from a mixture of 75% by weight of rice flour and 25% by weight of corn flour, while pellets' B can be formed from 60% by weight of rice flour and 40% by weight of potato flour. A first recipe may require 50% by weight of pellets 'A and 50% by weight of pellets' B, while a second recipe may require 90% by weight of pellets 'A and only 10% by weight of pellets' B. The various combinations are almost infinite.

Of the three forms of goods described, pellets are · a preferred form, according to a separate aspect of the invention. Pellets provide excellent texture characteristics (eg crispiness, contour, etc.), which produce a high-quality inflated product, and allow for more precise control of moisture content. While rice is the preferred good for the pellet form in the present invention,

<img file="MX337757B_D0028.tif" />

<img file="MX337757B_D0029.tif" />

other forms of the inflatable snack product may be comprised primarily of corn, wheat, or an inflated potato starch, with combinations and other such grains (or starches from sources other than the grains), which are also possible.

Part of what gives the present invention its unique surface contour is the composition of the bulk food starch. The various goods will all have different expandability, partly dependent on the moisture content and partly due to the different characteristics of the starch, the compositions, or the pre-processing (such as pre-gelatinization). By combining a predominantly rice bulk food starch (be it flour, whole grains, or pellets) sandwiched for example with half-ground corn kernels, the puffed product will have natural surface and texture variations due to varied expansion. Therefore, to facilitate this aspect in the present invention, at least a portion of the bulk food starch in certain embodiments will be enhanced by the inclusion of half-ground corn kernels which do not expand as much as pellets or kernels. rice.

<img file="MX337757B_D0030.tif" />

With reference again to Figures 814, notwithstanding the good or goods or the form used, according to an aspect of the invention, the product has a generally predefined perimeter shape. Preferably, the perimeter shape of the food product is one that is attractive to consumers and is suitable for use in a chamber-type inflation machine. The applicant has found that a circular shape meets both of these requirements. It is also believed that there may be textural advantages to the circular shape.

In order to form the preferred product, which is most easily understood with reference to the methods described, a sufficient amount of whole kernels or pellets (and half-ground corn kernels) capable of becoming amorphous, must be provided such that all whole grains or pellets (and half-ground grains) contact or touch at least one other full grain or pellet (or half-ground grain) after becoming amorphous. In other words, bulk food starch is capable of melting into a single flowable mass. This means that the quantity of bulk food starch used for the elaboration of the product of the

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MEXICAN INSTITUTE - ^ JODE LA i'kC:; E¿ '/. C present invention, is an important feature, as discussed below.

The area of ​​contact between two or more of the grains or pellets forms a connective boundary after they become flowable. This limit defines the connection area between the grains or pellets. The preferred inflated product is more easily broken at these limits, as opposed to breakage within the inflated grain or pellet body. This adds to the aesthetic appearance of the product according to the present invention. The prior art grain cakes are typically comprised of indistinct or less distinguishable boundaries between inflated grains, breaking along less visually determinable lines.

Another distinctive texture aspect of the present invention over the prior art relates to the thickness of the product. The preferred product is typically a single coat, approximately one grain thick. This helps to ensure contact between individual grains, pellets, and half-ground grains, which occurs over no more than two dimensions (for example, primarily side-by-side connection). This, in turn, ensures the appeal of t-Ot food texture

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INDuSTXÍ. '. L -: - addition of individual grains or pellets in each inflated product. In contrast, the prior art cakes are several grains thick, causing three-dimensional contact (eg, side-by-side and head-to-bottom connections). Such three-dimensional contact eliminates the crisp aesthetic and added texture quality and the appearance of individual beans or pellets within the cake. This again refers to the amount of bulk food starch relative to the volume of the inflation chamber and the remaining area.

Processes

In many prior art processes, an amount of food starch (in the full grain form only) is added to an inflation chamber such that after expansion the food starch fills the entire chamber. The result is an inflated product shaped exactly to the size and shape of the camera, and substantially in the shape of a disc. This is very different from the present invention.

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A preferred method of making the inflated food starch product of the present invention illustrated in Figure 18 uses a bulk amount of a previously described food starch. The described method begins by providing an inflation chamber having internal surfaces and a chamber volume, and then placing a bulk amount of the food starch material in the inflation chamber. Generally speaking, the bulk amount of the food starch causes it to expand volumetrically. In other words, bulk food starch is inflated to several times its original size.

Inflation machines (usually having a plurality of chambers each) are widely known and understood by those of skill in the art. A suitable inflation machine is manufactured by REAL FOODS PTY, LTD of Saint Peters NSW, Australia. Referring to Figures 1-6, the inflation chamber 20 is shown, generally, having an opening 21 on the ring mold 22, the upper mold insert 24 (coupled to an upper base 25), and the insert lower mold 26 (coupled to a lower base 27).

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Each of these components can be slidably movable on guide pins 28, although the ring mold 22 is typically fixed. Mold inserts 24, 26 (via bases 25, 27) can be hydraulically, pneumatically, or in any other appropriate manner. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the mold insert 24, 26 enters opening 21 to form the internal surfaces of the inflation chamber.

The present preferred method requires constraining the expansion of the bulk amount of the food starch in at least a first dimension, while allowing expansion of the bulk amount in at least a second dimension. In other words, the food starch is able to expand to its full volumetric potential (taking into account the moisture content of the food starch, the chamber temperature, and the forces of gravity), while preventing it from already expanding be it one of the height, width or depth. For example, if the height of the inflated product is constrained, then the width and depth of the inflated product are increased proportionally. Where two dimensions are constrained, the third will be

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offset to achieve full volume expansion. At no time is the total volumetric expansion of the inflated product constrained by the internal surfaces of the inflation chamber, while the dimensional expansion is constrained. Preferably, this can be accomplished by predetermining the appropriate amount of the bulk amount of food starch placed in the isolation chamber, relative to the total volume of the chamber in an unsealed condition (inflation). The prior art processes attempt to completely fill the chamber (at least after inflation).

The use of the inflation chamber for dimensional constraint can be accomplished by defining a general product shape (as previously discussed) in the first dimension, or in the first and third dimensions. The constrained shape can be provided by, in a particular embodiment, constraining the expansion with the internal surfaces of the inflation chamber.

Balanced against the unconstrained volumetric expansion aspects of the invention (eg, fitting to size hereof)

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of the bulk amount of the food starch placed inside the inflation chamber) is the need to produce a single unit product from the inflation chamber

With these competing interests in mind, the present method may further include predetermining the bulk amount of the food starch to be placed into the chamber such that there is a sufficient quantity of whole grains or pellets (or half-ground corn kernels). ) all grains or pellets (and half-ground grains) touch at least one other grain or pellet (or half-ground grains) after becoming amorphous.

While the exact mechanism of how food starch binds to each other in the inflation chamber is not fully understood, referring to Figure 20, melting, or at least softening or gelatinization of food starch, is believed to occur. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, inflation chamber 20 is heated to a temperature of approximately 24 6 ° C (475 ° F). Inflation machines, as well as individual inflation chambers, however, can vary greatly from one to the other. Due to such differences, and any other conditions

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these dimensions may vary for larger or smaller products. The volume of the opening 32 determines the amount of food starch to be added to each chamber

Each opening 32 corresponds to a chamber 20 of the inflation machine. A supply plate 30 moves through the open ring mold 22, which deposits the predetermined amount of bulk material filling each opening volume within chamber 20, to rest on the lower mold insert 26. Supply plate 30 is then retracted.

The chamber is closed as shown in the sequence of Figures 2-5, and the bulk food starch is heated to an amorphous or extensible state. After a heating cycle time of approximately 5.25 to 6.75 seconds, the upper mold insert 24 is raised to release the pressure in chamber 20, as shown in Figure 4. The upper mold insert 24 is fully raised and the lower mold insert 26 is raised to be flush with the upper surface of the ring mold 22, as shown in Figure 6. Finally, the supply plate 30 returns to perform a deposit

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subsequent, pushing the inflated food starch products into a discharge chute (not shown in the process.

The amount of food starch used in the present invention is less than that used in the prior art processes.

There is a relationship between the mass of the food starch used and the expansion of the final product, also taking into account the volume of the chamber (approximately 129 mm³ (0.79 cubic inches) in the present invention), the cycle time, and the chamber temperature. Basically, the expanded food starch should not be constrained by the volume of the chamber, as discussed above. Another consideration, however, is the placement of the food starch within the chamber. If the food starch is thick or piled on top of itself, then the expansion of the food starch as a whole will be decreased. Thin-spread food starch will tend to more fully inflate.

Where the pellets are used in the present invention, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art the

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IMP

IMS ':

prepare suitable pellets. The JR SHORT COMPANY, Chicago, Illinois, manufactures such rice pellets. Basically, referring to Figure 19, starting with a food starch converted to flour, the starch is gelatinized in an extruder under pressure and temperature. The food starch is then extruded and cut, forming individual pellets. Pellets, in the preferred embodiment, are generally formed to the size of a whole grain. The grain size can be selected from the group of grains including rice, wheat, barley, oats, rye, corn, etc. The extruded food starch pellets can be cooled sufficiently (eg slowly) to substantially reduce any stress on the pellet, and provide sufficient drying to provide good shelf life and prevent the extruded food starch pellets from adhering to each other in storage. .

In another preferred embodiment of the present method, the Applicant found advantages in pelletizing the food starch material, and then placing a quantity of the food starch in the form of pellets in the inflation chamber. Quantity can be so small

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as a single pellet, or as large as is suitable for the size of the chamber, the pellets within the

The chamber is then caused to expand volumetrically and form a suitable cake or slice.

Another main advantage of using pellets over them. whole grains is that the pellets do not need to be tempered prior to inflation. That is, tempering is a process by which whole grains are drum stirred in a high atmospheric content of (often using moisture vapor).

This is not necessary for pellets. The moisture content of the pellets is controlled in manufacturing, over the range of preferably within about 10% to about 12% (by weight). Furthermore, the tempering process is used to increase the inflation capacity of the grains, as described above. Pelletizing appears to provide sufficient improvements in inflation capacity to negate the need for tempering.

While specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of protection is

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only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to put the aforementioned invention into practice, is the one that is clear from the present description of the invention.